Isaiah 10:5

"Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few. For he saith, Are not my princes all of them kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?"

Rawlinson, in his outline of Isaiah, made this the beginning of the division reaching through Isaiah 23, but, following Robinson (See Introduction), we believe the close connection with the fate of Judah and Jerusalem indicate rather that it belongs with the first division, Isaiah 1-12.

"Ho Assyrian ..." This paragraph prophecies the destruction of Assyria, and at the same time also identifies this evil power as "The Rod" of God with which Jehovah will punish his hypocritical and profane people Israel. Assyria is thus the instrument God will use for the accomplishment of his purpose to punish Israel. This metaphor of God's using wicked nations to achieve his purpose, and then turning upon those wicked powers in their ruin to punish them and destroy them is extensively mentioned in the Old Testament. Back in Isaiah 7:20 Assyria was identified as "God's razor, other examples of the recurrence of this metaphor identify such wicked powers as "God's bows" (Isaiah 13:17), "God's battle-ax" (Jeremiah 51:20), and "God's arrows" (Jeremiah 51:11).

The words "Ho Assyrian" actually mean, "Woe betide this Assyria" as in James Moffatt's translation of the Old Testament. Cheyne rendered it, "Woe is Asher."[2]

"A profane nation ..." According to Rawlinson, hypocritical or a corrupt nation would be preferable to profane in this verse.[3]

"However he meaneth not so ..." This means that Assyria had no intention or desire whatever to serve God's purpose in the destruction of Israel. Ah no! Assyria was motivated by blood-lust, insatiable greed and ambition, sadistic cruelty, and arrogant opposition to God himself, totally unaware, that when he had shortly fulfilled God's purpose, the Lord would also totally destroy Assyria. Rabshakeh's proud boast that he had Jehovah with him when he went up against Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:25) was more than likely nothing but a ploy to frighten the city. "He had probably heard of the prophecies of the Judean prophets."[4]

Isaiah 10:8-11 carry the arrogant boasts of Assyria. They do not for an instant see that God is using them. No! All of their exploits are due to their own power and their own devices! Just look at the cities they have already destroyed! Look at the gods they have already defeated. "Insignificant little Judah with their puny gods (nothing to compare with the costly and excellent idols of cities already taken), they declared, would easily fall."[5]

This paragraph raises a question regarding the date of this prophecy. Hailey quoted Young as giving the dates when the cities mentioned here were taken by the Assyrians: "Calno in 738 B.C.; Carchemesh on the Euphrates in 717 B.C.; Hamath on the Orontes in 720 B.C.; Arpad in 740,720 B.C.; Samaria in 722 B.C.; and Damascus in 732 B.C."[6] Delitzsch believed the prophecy was written before these conquests took place, because Isaiah often spoke of future events as having already taken place.[7] Hailey believed it more probable that "This prophecy was written between the dates of the fall of Carchemesh (717 B.C.) and that of Sennacherib investiture of Jerusalem in (702-701 B.C.)."[8]

It appears to us that there may be good reasons for accepting the position of Delitzsch on this. McGuiggan's warning that we should remember that, "Isaiah often speaks of things having been accomplished that are still in the future,"[9] most certainly should be heeded. We shall observe many examples of this use of the present or the past tense for speaking of future events in Isaiah. First, "Isaiah 10:20-23 leave an impression that Ephraim has not fallen yet."[10]

"The Assyrians' argument in Isaiah 10:10,11 is: "How can Jerusalem, with fewer gods to protect it, hope to hold out successfully?."[11]